


Beach Vacation

by CeruleanLemniscate



Category: No Fandom
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Beaches, College, Dorks, Gen, Humor, Shenanigans, Superheroes, Vacation, nerds
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-12
Updated: 2016-06-12
Packaged: 2018-07-14 17:32:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7183448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CeruleanLemniscate/pseuds/CeruleanLemniscate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seven college-aged superhero friends going on a beach vacation together. What could possibly go wrong?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Beach Vacation

**Author's Note:**

> So, funny story. I'd had a particularly tough day at work one day and commented to a friend that I really wanted to run away on a beach vacation. Later that day, I was telling another friend what I'd said to the first friend. I mused whether writing a story about a beach vacation would be the same as being on a beach vacation. (It's not, but still.) That was the birth of this story. This was a collaborative effort. The friends in this story are my Twitter RP writing partners. They've each given different levels of input for their respective characters, which will develop over the course of the work. They are each amazing and badass in their own ways, both as writers and characters in this story, and I'm extremely lucky to have found them!

Two minutes and forty-three seconds left on the elliptical, I couldn’t be more relieved. Six months ago, I’d nearly died after five minutes into a manual program setting on the machine. Which was sad really. I didn’t smoke and I didn’t drink as much as your average college student. Yet, this piece of gym equipment had very nearly bested me.

 

With P!nk blasting in my earbuds, I look over to see how Mesi is holding up. Her first name was Mescudi. Yeah, seriously. I don’t know what her parents were thinking, but here she was. I refused to call her by that, so I affectionately shortened it to Mesi. I never asked her permission to call her by that and she never complained, so it stuck.

 

She was easy going like that and just rolled with the punches in everything she did. We shared an uncanny intuition that I didn’t quite have with any of the others in our group of friends. Right now, she was intently focused on the monitor on the elliptical likely watching something on Animal Planet. I grinned and then looked to the other side, in the direction of the treadmills.

 

The gym wasn’t overly busy, so I could see DCat, what I’d internally condensed her name to from her proper name Dana Catherine, on the treadmill. She couldn’t always join us, but when she did, she was enthusiastic as ever. She half waved, losing her balance but quickly catching herself on the side rails. She smiled widely then promptly turned her attention back to the treadmill dash and focused on finishing her workout.

 

I’d lost track of Serenity, but I knew her well enough to know she was around somewhere. I could, if I needed to, use my empathic abilities to sense around for her familiar aura, but it wasn’t necessary. Serenity and I were the oldest of the bunch at twenty-four, and we’d known each other the longest. Most of the others were twenty-three with the exception of Stephanie who was twenty.

 

Serenity and I had been through thick and thin, the two of us. We were complete opposites in nearly everything, but it worked for us. Where she had a rough edginess to her, I had a more quiet understanding. She’d taught me to stand up for myself in our senior year in high school and when she needed someone to mellow her out, she’d always come to find me.

 

Just then, I noticed Mesi step off the machine. It snapped me out of my recollections and I hopped off my own machine of death in two quick movements. “We about done?” She asked while I pulled out my earbuds.

 

I nodded and replied at the same time, “Yeah. This is definitely enough for me.” I knew where Dana was, and more or less where Serenity was. But where the heck had Steph and Scott gone to?

 

“Do you see Steph or Scott?”

 

We walked side by side in Dana’s direction, careful not to spook her and catch her off guard. Mesi didn’t even look around for our two missing friends, but without skipping a beat, she said, “No idea. Knowing them, they’ve gotten distracted or at least one of them is chatting up Nina at the front desk.” I looked over at her and laughed. She rolled her eyes, not unkindly, then grinned. And she was probably right. Scott had a thing for the young new employee. Chances are, he hadn’t worked out at all.  

 

While we waited for Dana to awkwardly dismount the treadmill (despite the fact that we’ve been over this with her multiple times), I turned around and looked across the gym floor to see if I could find Steph.

 

Oh god.

 

She was finishing up a leg circuit. I groaned and left Mesi and Dana on their own. They would just be going to the locker room for a shower, and with only four shower stalls and the amount of fellow gym-goers in attendance today, I’d have to wait in line anyway. With a deep sigh I walked over to the leg press Steph was currently occupying.

 

Halfway there, I notice Serenity walk toward me with a very knowing and sly grin on her face. “You knew she was doing a leg day and you let her, didn’t you?”

 

She only widened her grin and fell into step beside me. I shook my head and chuckled. “You’re a real bitch sometimes.”

 

When we reached the youngest of our group, she looked up with that bright smile she always wore. I felt bad for the girl, I really did. But she looked to be almost finished with her workout and it was too late.

 

“Steph, babe. You did a leg day?”

 

She furrowed her brows and scoffed as though the answer was more than obvious, which it was. But there was a problem she was failing to see. It wasn’t her fault really. She was young and inexperienced. She likely hadn’t thought this through all the way. One thing was for sure though; she would think twice next time.

 

“Did you forget what we’re doing tomorrow?”

 

“No. We’re leaving for Puerto Rico at the butt crack of dawn.” Came the snarky response.

 

“Yeeeeeah. And what happens to us the day after leg day?” I kept the tone in my voice light and neutral, leading her to the answer in a very thoughtful way.

 

Unlike Serenity.

 

I knew for a fact she was waiting to see the exact moment realization passed over Steph’s young features. And if I didn’t know her any better, I’d think she was tempted to take a peek telepathically.  

 

But after another two seconds, Serenity got the moment she’d waited so patiently for.

 

“Oh fuck. I’m going to be in a ton of pain when I wake up in the morning.” She immediately stopped mid-leg press and let the weights fall back heavily against their waiting companions in the weight slot.

 

I nodded as Serenity snort chuckled. That earned her an elbow jab to the ribs from me. She didn’t make any attempt to block the attack and was just relishing in Steph’s predicament. I decided a change of topic was in order.

 

“Mesi and Dana are already in the locker room. Have either of you seen Scott?”

 

As Stephanie wiped down the leg press after spritzing it, she grumbled her answer out. “He’s over there.” We followed the direction her sullen finger pointed. Mesi had been right. He was chatting up Nina.

 

“I’ll get him. Did Arty not make it?”

 

Finally speaking her first words of the last few minutes, Serenity piped in. “Ten bucks she’s either in the library or stopped off at a bakery on the way here.” As opposite as those two options were, she was right. Artemis had gotten an extension on her World Lit paper and she was pushing the already extended deadline. And when she was stressed, only the best pastries could relax her. Not that you could tell she had a sweet tooth. While the rest of us were in here 3 or 4 days a week working for the bodies we had, she was just blessed with good genes. Her metabolism was always on overdrive.

 

I left Steph and Serenity to their own devices, trusting that they’d make it to the locker room without too much squabbling, and made my way to the front desk. Scott never saw me coming, so when I sidled up to him, leaning my upper arm against his, this seemed to startle him out of his musings with the young brunette.

 

“Dude. Did you work out at all?”

 

He looked sheepish then, looking between me and Nina, and I couldn’t help but laugh lightly. He was such a goof, I could never be annoyed with him too long though, if at all.

 

Behind me, I heard the door swing open suddenly. We all looked over and that’s when we saw Artemis walking in frantically.

 

“Oh good! You are all still here!” She had such a relieved look on her face that I didn’t have the heart to tell her just then that most of us were done. I smiled over at her but I directed my words to Scott.

 

“Look, you can keep her company and still get a workout in. Good luck, though. She will run your ass ragged across this gym floor.”

 

His answer came out as a grumble, “Thanks.”

 

Then looking over at a flustered Arty, I continued. “The girls and I are done. But Scott here was just getting started. We’ll wait for you guys at the house? Then you need to fill me in on how it went with your paper, yeah?”

 

With a confident grin and a smooth, bold voice, as she stood next to us in front of the counter of the desk, she didn’t wait to tell us about the paper. “I rocked it, of course. With three minutes to spare, no less. Prof even said she looked forward to reading it.”

 

Scott and I both high-fived her. I was really happy she’d gotten everything done. This meant that we were all officially carefree for the next week and we could truly enjoy our beach vacation. With the exception of Steph, we’d all just completed our junior year in college, so we were all more than ready for a break. And if the break included beautiful sandy beaches and drinks with tiny umbrellas in them, then all the better.

 

“I’m heading to the locker room. I’m sure there’s a free stall by now. We’ll see you both later tonight.”

 

And with that, I made my way to the back of the building. I needed a shower. And there were several bottles of chilled wine waiting for us when arrived at the house.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

I carried the hamper full of our dirty gym clothes downstairs toward the utility room. We were going to be gone for several days and I intended to wash my own workout attire, so it would only make sense to wash everyone else’s too. I turned the knob and started the washer, getting everything ready to begin the load.

 

Even in this secluded corner of the house, I could still feel the others moving about. Most, myself included, were working on their final packing. A couple others, probably Serenity and Mesi, were deciding which bottle of wine to start with.

 

Being an empath, combined with the amount of time I’d known everyone in the house, I could always feel their familiar individual auras. I never actively sought them out unless I needed to. I respected everyone’s privacy and I could usually read their emotions in the other small details of their manner, body language, and verbal queues.

 

At the Agency, we’d all learned how to channel and use our unique abilities. During high school, even if none of us knew it at the time, our parents all knew each other. A few of us grew up on the north side of town and attended the best school in the district, while the others were doing the same on the opposite side of town. We would come to learn that none of this was a coincidence.

 

After high school graduation, under the guise of a celebratory dinner, our parents brought us together to tell us what we were and how our powers were about to manifest. At that time, there were many others of us. We were the seven who’d stuck together.

 

Yes, we all cared about each other, but we also shared the same ideals about how our powers and abilities should and should not be used. I, for example, not only have the ability to feel the emotions of others, but I can also project emotions onto them. In certain situations, this may seem harmless, but as I’d come to find out in the past, forcing emotions on others is a form of manipulation I wasn’t comfortable with. If a person was grieving, it might seem kind to project contentment or calmness onto them, but it is in fact a disservice to the other person. Robbing them of the natural process of grief means that they will not complete the healing cycle. There was always a cost, either to the giver or the receiver, in manipulation.

 

And so it was with everyone else. Whether we had active or passive powers, we all felt that there was a right time to use them. Even the most stubborn among us drew the line at bringing harm to innocents.

 

Other students completing the required two years at the Agency had no qualms about using their powers how they saw fit and on whom they saw fit. This became more than evident to us during the required six month field training that came after Agency graduation. We were put in real life situations where we had to collaborate our powers together for specific missions. It was during the latter of these missions that we not only fought the given threat, but those graduates among us that had allowed money and power to corrupt them as well.  

 

Suddenly, a wave of panic flooded me, bringing me back to present day. I rushed out of the utility room and hurried toward the living room where most everyone should have been, but all I found was the front door fully opened. I continued to the front porch and that’s when I smelled it; smoke. Simultaneously, my eyes were drawn to angry flames lapping out of the windows of a house just down the block. I was certain that’s where the others were and ran over.

 

I could see Serenity and Mesi helping an older woman out the front door. On the lawn, there were already two young kids, maybe five and six, breathing heavily and coughing. Even though Scott and Arty were with them, their fear hit me like a truck. I swallowed thickly and walked over to them, meeting up with them just as Serenity and Mesi were bringing the older woman to the children. She would need medical attention immediately.

 

“Scott, have emergency services been called?”

 

“Yeah, we called the second we left the house to come over. About a minute ago.” He looked to me then the house behind us. “Steph brought them out first. She went back in because they have an older sister that was supposed to be upstairs. She went in just after Ser and Mesi.”

 

“Where’s Dana?”

 

“She’s at the store. She’d left about ten minutes before Mesi realized what was happening out here.” Came the quick reply from Arty. Good, at least she was safe and not in there with Steph.

 

Stephanie’s ability was Speed; like, blink-of-an-eye fast. She should have been out by now unless there was a problem. Despite each of our abilities, were were not indestructible. We were all at the mercy of normal human danger; fire, burns, and smoke inhalation included.

 

This neighborhood was an older one and most of the homes in this area had not been renovated. It was not uncommon to still have active gas lines in use, particularly in kitchens. I was guessing that the fire had started there.

 

Instinctively, I moved toward the house, fully intending to go in to help Steph, but I felt a hand on my shoulder in an attempt to stop me halfway to the front porch. I didn’t need to see who it was to know it was Serenity and I started speaking before I even turned my head.

 

“She should have been out by now. Something’s wrong.”

 

She nodded her agreement. “Yeah, but you’re not going in alone.” She coughed out the last couple of words before continuing. “You and me go in together.” Serenity turned her head to look at Mesi then back at me. “Mesi will stay out here nearest to the windows that could provide the best exit in case they’re trapped upstairs.”

 

We all nodded and headed in our respective directions. As Serenity and I entered the house, both covering our mouths and noses as best we could, I could see the the kitchen and it was completely engulfed in flames, barely recognizable. We called out for Steph and when we got no response, I used my ability to sense around for both her and for a sense of panic that could be coming from another person. They were definitely not downstairs.

 

Finding the staircase, we sidestepped burning debris that had begun to fall from the walls. Whatever had sparked this fire caused it to spread and rise quickly. The heat was incredibly intense and it was already becoming difficult to breathe. Taking the steps two at a time, sometimes three, we reached the second story landing.

 

I looked back at Serenity and instead of mouthing the words, knowing she’d understand to read my mind, I thought “ _Left or right?_ ” She quickly scanned each side, searching for the thoughts of Steph and the girl. Her nudge to the left was all I needed to continue.

 

I was no expert in Fire Science, but damn, this was becoming destroyed rapidly. We came up to a closed door and I knew instantly this is where our friend and the younger girl were. Behind us, part of beam engulfed in flames fell in a slant across the hallway we’d just come through.

 

Banging on the closed door and yelling out between coughs, Serenity called through the door. “Steph!” But she and I didn’t need verbal confirmation to know they were in there.

 

“In here!” Came Steph’s voice over the loud crackling and roaring of the flames. I was equal parts relieved and worried. Serenity tapped my shoulder and then tapped her head. She was letting me know that Steph was projecting something to her, which she then projected to me.

 

“ _There’s a fallen beam across the door on the inside. I’m telling her to use the window; that Mesi is waiting for them. The young girl is frightened but Steph is trying to coax her out from under the bed and get her to the window._ ”

 

“ _Tell her they’re running out of time. She needs to use any means necessary to get her out. Now._ ” I projected back to Serenity with a single nod.

 

Serenity looked once more to the door, sending the message to Steph, before turning her attention back to our situation out here in the hallway.

 

I looked down the hall in the direction we’d come from. We weren’t going to able to exit that way. Bringing the bottom of my shirt up to cover my nose and mouth in a futile attempt to breathe in less smoke, I continued down the hall in the opposite direction with Serenity right behind me. We needed to find another window. We came to a small bedroom at the rear corner of the house with the door already opened.

 

Reaching the window which faced the back yard, I felt for the window lock mechanisms more than saw them. My eyes were watering from the smoke and it was becoming difficult for us to see. Serenity stepped in front of me and flung the window open, pulling my upper body along with hers out the window so we could get some fresh air into our lungs.

 

I only hoped Mesi was done helping Steph and the other young girl because we needed a quick escape. A few seconds later, there was thin web of silk forming from somewhere along the roof above us. The edges of the silk attached to the siding of the house a few feet below the window molding into a pouch of sorts to catch us. I looked to Serenity encouraging her to go first, but she wasn’t having it. She practically shoved me out the window and then climbed out right after.

 

Mesi then continued adding to the material cradling us until we were able to get close enough to roll out onto the ground safely. We’d actually been in one other situation that required us to be exposed to Mesi’s webs. It was best not to struggle and just let her pull it back when she was ready. So we did. Then she came down to join Serenity and I in the backyard of the house.

 

It wasn’t until just then that I heard the sirens and saw the flashing lights of the emergency vehicles beam and bounce off the exterior walls of the neighboring house. We walked to the front of the house where all the others were, coughing in fits, eyes still stinging.

 

All the children were huddled with two EMT’s in one ambulance. It appeared as though the older one might be receiving treatment for a burn on her arm. She also had an oxygen mask on. I could still feel their fear, understandably, as I approached, but I could also sense their relief at being safe. The older woman, maybe their grandmother, was on a stretcher. She’d also been given an oxygen mask.

 

Steph was sitting near a tree with an EMT examining her. Serenity, Mesi, and I walked over and plunked down to sit beside her. The EMT noticed the state that Ser and I were in and called over two other medics to check us out.

 

When everything was said and done, family had been called to look after the young children while their caretaker was taken to the hospital for x-rays and further observation. Apparently, she’d fallen asleep in the living room while the children had been asleep upstairs. When the fire began, it startled her out of her slumber and when she tried to get up and go wake the children, she’d fallen while trying to retrieve her cane.

 

Serenity, Steph, and I refused to be taken to the hospital. Steph had been treated for a minor burn on her shoulder. All three of us had been ordered to wear oxygen masks for thirty minutes while the firefighters battled the blaze.

 

The house and likely everything in it were a total loss, but those who it once sheltered would be okay. The six of us had seen worse and we walked in silence back to our own house. Our training had put us in similar situations, and in our lives since then, nights like tonight weren’t uncommon for us. It was just another reminder that we could never get too comfortable.

 

We shuffled back into the living room of our house, each of us taking a seat and taking a few minutes to wind down from the chaos. In the quiet, we could hear a car pull up and knew exactly who it was.

 

Dana shoved open the front door, several bags in hand, and closed the door behind her.

 

“I’m back!” She greeted brightly. But her face soon fell as she turned and took in the sight of us. With a frown, she asked, “What the hell happened?”


End file.
